How far is Maluleka down the pecking order at Sundowns? Mokwena opens up on situation

Industrious midfielder George Maluleka has shockingly not reached 20 appearances at Mamelodi Sundowns since arriving on a free transfer in 2020 from Kaizer Chiefs.

He left Naturena hastily during the 2019/20 campaign after refusing to renew his deal with Amakhosi.

Chiefs were in pole position to win the Premiership title but surprisingly, the Soweto giants allowed the player to leave ahead of his contract expiration.

By the time the 2020/21 season arrived, which was a delayed start due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Maluleka struggled for minutes.

Fast-forward to February 2022, the player continues to warm the bench and most times not making the matchday squad for Masandawana.

"You know, football is the funniest thing," Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena told reporters after their 2-0 victory over Chippa United, extending their DStv Premiership log lead to 17 points.

"A couple of months back we were asked why Gaston Sirino is not playing. Gaston now comes onto the pitch and now we have to answer as to why George is not playing. 

"Unfortunately, the laws of football only allow us to play eleven players, and fortunately, even now, the number of substitutions has increased from three to five. So, we can only incorporate 16 players," said Mokwena, adding:

The arrival of Surprise Ralani and Teboho Mokoena from Cape Town City and SuperSport United, respectively, adds to the concerns of how far down the pecking order Maluleka is?

Does he still have a place at the club? 

The 33-year-old has only featured in two matches for Sundowns during the current campaign but Mokoena vows that the former Chiefs midfielder still has the qualities to break into the Sundowns team.

"I don't think we all understand the difficulty to come to training every single